Apparatus for making perforated tubes



Nov. 26, 1963 A. L. LIND 3,111,873

APPARATUS FOR MAKING PERFORATED TUBES Original Filed Sept. 2, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/GJ INVENT OR. ALFRED L.L//v0 A 'TTORNE Y4 FIG. 2

Nov. 26, 1963 FIG. 3

L. LlND APPARATUS FOR MAKING PERFORATED TUBES Original Filed Sept. 2, 1958 FIG-4 2 Sheets-Shet 2 4l 39 40 37 36 23 20 as INVENTOR. ALFRED L. LIND y mtw ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oil ice 3 1N323 Patented Nov. 26, 1963 9 Claims. (Cl. 83-98 This invention relates to an apparatus and method for making perforated tube display devices. More particularly this invention relates to apparatus for making perforated tubes having a plurality of rows of uniformly spaced perforations, uniformly spaced about the periphery of the tube.

The invention is illustrated with reference to the drawings in which corresponding numerals refer to the same parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of apparatus for producing perforated tubes;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view, partly in section, generally on the line 22 of FIGURE 1 and in the direction of the arrows, somewhat enlarged and showing details of the apparatus structure;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary and somewhat enlarged end elevation, partly in section, of the perforating portion of the apparatus;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary and somewhat enlarged vertical section, taken on the line 44 of PEGURE i and in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG- URE 3 and in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section longitudinally through a portion of the mandrel and female die elements of the apparatus, shown with a tube in place on the mandrel prior to perforation; and

FIGURE 7 is an end elevation showing a modified form of mandrel support for mandrels of small diameter.

Referring to the drawings, and, particular-1y to FIG- URES l to 6, there is here shown an apparatus for producing perforated tubes for display devices. The apparatus comprises generally a table top lb or similar work surface supported on suitable legs or standards .11 below the ram 12 of a conventional punch press. The ram 712 is supported on the end of a piston 13 which is movable under the influence of fluid pressure, as is well understood in the punch press art.

An elongated bar or plate punch holder 14 is secured to the ram by means of bolts 15 or equivalent fastening means. The lower surface of the plate 1 4 is provided with a longitudinal slot or groove in which is supported a plurality of punch plate elements 116, each bearing a plurality of punches 17. The punches 17 are aligned in a single row and uniformly spaced apart. To maintain the rigidity of the elongated punch holder member 1d and the punch elements carried by it, a pair of generally wedge-shaped strengthening members 13 are mounted on the upper surface of the bar or plate 14-; Tension between the strengthening members 18 and the ram head 12 is maintained by adjustable heavy-duty bolts 19* or equivalent means to insure against deflection of the extremities of the punch holder plate and punches under the influence of thet ram pressure.

A tubular stationary cylindrical arbor or mandrel 255* is seated at one end in a vertical end plate 21 and supported horizontally above the work table it? immediately below the die punch. The end plate is desirably strengthened by supporting braces .22 to insure rigidity of the mandrel. The free end of the mandrel is slightly tapered to facilitate placement of a tube thereon. A tube 2 3 of paper or cardboard or the like is disposed with a tight sliding in on the mandrel. A plurality of female die plate elements 24 are disposed in a longitudinal slot or groove 25 in the uppermost portion of the mandrel 20 immediately below the slot or groove in the punch holder 14 and held firm by suitable fastening means. The die plates 24 each contain a plurality of die openings an aligned in a row and uniformly spaced so as to register with the punch elements 17 of the die punch structure.

A plurality of openings 27 in the bottom of the longitudinal groove 25 extend through the mandrel wall in communication with die openings 26 to receive the punchings from the tube 2 3 and deposit them on the inside of the tubular mandrel. A section of pipe 28 is preferably threaded into a central aperture in the end plate 21 communicating with the inside of the mandrel Ztl and connected through a T-connector 29 to a pipe or tube 30 communicating with a source of compressed air for blowing the tube punchings from the interior of the mandrel.

The free open end of the mandrel 2% is supported by the wedge shaped end 31. of a crank arm 32 pivotally mounted at 33 on the top of the work surface 16. A handle 34 permits movement of the crank arm from the broken line position shown in FlGURE 2 to the full line position in which the wedge-shaped end 31 is forced under the free end of the mandrel to hold it firmly stationary against movement under influence of the applied fluid pressure of the punch head. A stop member 35 is preferably provided to limit movement of the crank arm when it is in the broken line or non-supporting position.

The tube 23 is held securely on the mandrel 2% by means of a resilient hold-down member or clamp 36 supported from one arm 37 of a hinge whose other arm 38 is secured to the end plate 21. The movable hinge arm 37 pivots on the pin 39' to permit relative movement between the hold-down member 36 and the surface of th mandrel to permit placement of a tube. Resilient tension is maintained on the hold-down member by means of a coil spring 41'? held between the head of a thumb screw 41 threaded into the edge of the end plate 21 and the movable hinge arm 37.

Each cycle of the punch press forms a single longitudinal row of uniformly spaced perforations along the length of the tube 23. For purposes of the perforated tube displays, to accommodate standard fixtures the openings in the tube should also be uniformly spaced about the periphery of the cylindrical tube with the same distance between centers as between centers in the longitudinal rows. Uniform rotation of the tube about the malldrel by a predetermined distance is accomplished by means best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. A straight crank arm 42 is journalled to pivot about the compressed air pipe 28. A pin 43 in the outer surface of the end wall 21 provides a stop for movement of the crank arm 42. The free end of the crank arm 42 is provided with a bar or rod 44 extending inwardly past the edge of the end wall 2d and provided at its free end with a somewhat enlarged portion or block 45. The block 45 is provided with a transverse channel whose center line lies in the same plane as one of the punch elements 17 and its corresponding die opening 26. A claw member having a tooth 47 at one end adapted to fit into a perforation in the tube 23 is pivotally connected at 48 to a slidable bar or rod l9 which is slidably adjustable in the transverse channel in the block 45 and secured in proper predetermined position by means of an adjusting screw The crank arm 42 is normally in position against stop 43, as best shown in FIGURE 3. When one longitudinal row of perforations is formed in the tube 23 by movement of the die punch structure from the full line position to the dotted line position, shown in FIGURE 3, and returned to the full line position, the tube 23 is then rotated on the mandrel a predetermined distance equal to the spacing between the perforations in the longitudinal row, as determined by the adjustment of the claw arm 49. The arm 42 is first moved in a counter-clockwise position, viewed from FIGURE 3. The tapered tooth 27 on the claw 46 moves across the periphery of the tube 23 until the tooth engages one of the perforations formed therein. The tooth drops into the perforation and the straight sided portion of the tooth engages the side wall of the perforation so that whenthe crank arm- 42 is then moved in a clockwise direction, the tube 23 is rotated the predetermined distance with respect to the stationary mandrel. The tube is then ready for the formation of a second row of perforations and after punching is again rotated. This is done repeatedly until the desired number of rows of perforations have been formed in the tube. The tapered or sloping surface on one side of the claw tooth 47 permits it to slide easily out of the perforation in one row for movement to the corresponding perforation in the next succeeding row to accomplish rotation of the tube.

In FIGURE 7 there is shown an alternative form of mandrel supporting means, primarily intended for use for supporting mandrels and tubes of smaller diameter. The modified mandrel is shown at 249A bearing a smaller diameter tube indicated at 23A. The mandrel support includes a generally semi-cylindrical cradle 51 supported on a standard or base 52 of appropriate height and secured to the work surface it). The inside diameter of the cradle 51 is preferably just enough larger than the outside diameter of the mandrel 28A to permit placement of the tube 23A on the mandrel. The cradle 51 preferably extends the full length of the mandrel ZdA in order to provide support along the entire length of the mandrel.

Exemplary perforated tube display devices constructed from perforated tubes formed according. to the invention as described are shown in my copending application Serial No. 753,475, filed September 2, 1958, now Patent No. 3,080,067, of which this application is a division.

A wide variety of display devices may be produced from the perforated tubes formed according to this invention. These may be produced in a variety of heights and diameters, utilizing a variety of different fixtures, proided with shelves, bins, canopies, banners, etc. and either free standing or suppored from some permanent structure. lit should be noted that Peg Board fixtures which are usable in conjunction with the perforated tube displays of this invention have been standardized in design and construction on the basis of one inch centers between supporting hook members. One of the problems solved by this invention is the production of perforated tubes having holes or openings aligned in longitudinal rows on precisely one inch centers and disposed tran versely around the perimeter of the tube on one inch centers. it will be apparent, however, that the invention is not limited to any specific spacing of the perforations.

It is apparent that many modifications and variations of this invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by way of example only and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Apparatus for forming perforated cylindrical tubes having uniform longitudinal rows of perforations uniformly spaced about the periphery of the tubes, said apparatus comprising a stationary cylindrical mandrel supported from one end, an aligned row of female dies extending longitudinally of said mandrel along the uppermost portion thereof, said mandrels being longer than said tubes, means for supporting the unsupported free end of said mandrel, punch press means including a plurality of punches disposed longitudinally above and in alignment with said female di s, means for causing relative movement between said mandrel and punch means and means for rotating a tube a predetermined distance about said mandrel, said tube rotating means comprising a crank arm pivoted for movement about the axis of said in rdrel, a claw member on said crank arm adapted to er' age a perforation in said tube, and stop means for in- 'ng movement of said crank arm after rotation of said tube by a predetermined distance.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further character ized in that holddown means is provided for holding a tube on said mandrel.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 further characterized in that said mandrel is tubular with openings communica ing the inside of the mandrel with said female dies to receive the punchings therefrom and means for expelling said punchings from said mandrel.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 further characterized in that said mandrel is provided with fittings adapted to be connected to a source of compressed gas, as the expolling means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 further characterin that said means for supporting the free unsupported end of said mandrel comprises a crank arm pivotally mounted for movement into and out of engagement with said mandrel and having a wedge end adapted to engage the lowermost surface of said mandrel for support thereof.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 further characterized in that said punch means comprises a longitudinal plate member carrying said punches and supported from the ram of a fluid pressure operated punch press, and a pair of adjustable tension maintaining members disposed between the ends of said plate member and said ram for maintaining the rigidity of the punch structure.

7. Apparatus for forming perforated cylindrical tubes having uniform longitudinal rows of perforations uniformly spaced about the periphery of the tube, said ap paratus comprising a stationary cylindrical tubular mandrel supported from one end, a row of female dies exlongitudinally of said mandrel along the uppermost portion thereof, openings communicating the inside of he mandrel with said female dies to receive the punchings therefrom, means for expelling said punchings from said mandrel; punch press means including a plurality of punches disposed longitudinally above and in alignment with said female dies; means for causing relative movement between said mandrel and punch press means; means for supporting the unsupported free end or said mandrel against movement under pressure of said punch means; and means for rotating a tube a predetermined distance about said mandrel, said rotating including a crank arm pivoted for movement about the axis of said mandrel, a claw member on said crank ar n adapted to engage a perforation in said tube, and stop means for inhibiting movement of said crank arm after rotation of said tube by a predetermined distance.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 further characterlzed in that said means for supporting the free unsupported end of said mandrel comprises a cram; arm pivotally mounted for movement into and out of engagement with said mandrel and having a wedge end adapted to engage the lowermost surface of said mandrel for support thereof.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 further characterized in that said punch press means comprises a longitudinal plate member carrying said punches and supported from the ram of a fluid pressure operated punch press, and a pair of adjustable tension maintaining members disposed between the ends of said plate member and said ram for maintaining the rigidity of the punch structure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 877,855 Murray Jan. 28, 1908 1,398,320 Dunsworth Nov. 29, 1921 2,630,862 Musser Mar. 10, 1953 

1. APPARATUS FOR FORMING PERFORATED CYLINDRICAL TUBES HAVING UNIFORM LONGITUDINAL ROWS OF PERFORATIONS UNIFORMLY SPACED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF THE TUBES, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A STATIONARY CYLINDRICAL MANDREL SUPPORTED FROM ONE END, AN ALIGNED ROW OF FEMALE DIES EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID MANDREL ALONG THE UPPERMOST PORTION THEREOF, SAID MANDRELS BEING LONGER THAN SAID TUBES, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE UNSUPPORTED FREE END OF SAID MANDREL, PUNCH PRESS MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF PUNCHES DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY ABOVE AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FEMALE DIES, MEANS FOR CAUSING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID MANDREL AND PUNCH MEANS AND MEANS FOR ROTATING A TUBE A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE ABOUT SAID MANDREL, SAID TUBE ROTATING MEANS COMPRISING A CRANK ARM PIVOTED FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID MANDREL, A CLAW MEMBER ON SAID CRANK ARM ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A PERFORATION IN SAID TUBE, AND STOP MEANS FOR INHIBITING MOVEMENT OF SAID CRANK ARM AFTER ROTATION OF SAID TUBE BY A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE. 